Tattoos
by NeverMessWithTeddyBears
Summary: "Do you really have any tattoos?" "You wanna see 'em?" "Absolutely not." My shot at explaining Crews' unexplained tattoos. Crews/Reese.


**Tatoos**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Reese: <strong>_**Do you really have any tatoos?**

_**Crews: **_**You wanna see 'em?**

_**Reese: **_**Absolutely not.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Spider web - <strong>__represents passing time. Each line of the web stands for a year in prison._

* * *

><p>"Hang in there, Reese!"<p>

The first time she saw any of his tatoos, she just got shot.

_Funny, _isn't it?

She just got _shot_, bleeding out, and all she could think about was his tatoo. (_Well, it did took her mind off of the pain._)

She noticed the tatoo when he took off his upper shirt which he used to put pressure on her wound, clearly showing the web tatoo on his shoulder.

The ambulance sirens took her mind off the tatoo and back to reality. Feeling a sharp swing of pain in her abdomen, she moaned.

"Help's coming, Dani. Just hang in there!", Crews repeated over and over.

(_She didn't know if he was trying to convince her or himself._)

'_Twelve lines-twelve years. Passing time._', she focused on his tatoo again, trying to forget the pain

'_He probably got it in prison. Where else?_'

Soon she was blinded with red and blue lights and Crews was outvoiced by the sirens.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Number 12 - <strong>__because that's how much time they took away from him._

* * *

><p>She noticed the number 12 tatooed on his wrist when he held her hand and didn't let go.<p>

She woke and felt a light pressure on her hand. Her eyes needed a couple of seconds to adjust to the bright lights which seemed to bounce off of the white hospital walls.

With her, now recovered, eyes she trailed their connected hands, and spotted the light tatoo she never noticed before.

'_And I say I'm a detective._'

Crews was back in his shirt and suit, sitting in the hospital chair, next to her bed, sleeping at a strange angle, but never letting go of her hand.

She tried to sit up, but failed. Her wound started to hurt and she moaned from the sharp pain that went through her abdomen.

Crews jumped to his feet, still holding her hand

"_Hey_! It's been two hours since your surgery,", he said, making her lay back down on her bed,"you need to go slow. Rest. Have a nice sleep for a first time in years."

"I just wanted to sit up", she said, trying to fight her desire of leaning to him

"You should've asked for help."

When she finally layed down, he took a seat in the same chair, letting go of her hand.

She wanted to rebel from the sudden lost of warmth, but bit her tounge before it came out of her mouth

"You really have tatoos", she said instead, not even knowing herself if that was a statement or a question. He just stayed silent.

"Did you make it in prison? The web?"

"Yeah.", he said, taking his knife from the inside of his pocket and starting to cut an apple in to pieces

"Want some?", he asked, handing her a small piece

"No, thanks."

* * *

><p><em>(She considers <em>_**scars**__ as his tatoos because they show what he has been through and that he survived.)_

* * *

><p>The first time she saw his scars was when she spend the night at his house.<p>

He was supposed to bring her home. She should have known he would do something, anything, except what he was supposed to.

And yet she didn't complain.

She didn't complain when he stopped the car in front of his house (_mansion would actually be the more appropiate word for it_), and when he went to open the door, helping her out.

She didn't complain at all.

"You.", he said, looking for his keyes in his pockets, "Are gonna sleep here. The doctor said you can't be left alone until you get better..."

"Crews, you _don't_...", finally finding her voice, Reese started to complain

".. _so_ I took a few days off work to help you around.", he finished, not even letting her complete her sentance.

Opening the door they walked in to a large lobby. Crews left her bag on the living room floor and helped her to the couch

"Your room is right next to mine, so if you need anything just shout. I'm gonna go change and I'll help you with the stairs."

"_You_ bought a TV?", she says, noticing the large screen in front of her

"Yeah. Rachel thought you might be bored."

* * *

><p>He came out of the bathroom looking for a clean shirt when he saw her on the stairs, making her way down, trying her best not to respond to the pain coming from her abdomen as she walked<p>

"_What_ do you think you're doing?"

She turned around, seeing him without a shirt, catching herself staring at his abs and muscels

"Going to breakfest. Rachel told me it's done."

She was about to turn her head when, with the corner of her eye, she saw a couple of long scars across his chest

"_A_nd you didn't call me to help you _because_..?"

"I _don't need _help. I'm not disabled."

"You have been _injured_, Reese. You _need_ help - at least for a little while."

He turned to his bedroom door, only to come out with a clean shirt in a matter of seconds. When he turned, she could see more lines of scars going all over his back.

'_What the hell happened in those twelve years?_'

She knew better than to ask.


End file.
